Introduction to

SPSS for windows

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 SPSS/ Windows
The user for SPSS/Windows is built by three
primary and distinct windows:
 the Data Editor window

 the Syntax Editor window

 and, the Viewer window

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 SPSS/Windows
It is important to know in which window one
is working because each window supports a
specific function.

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 SPSS/Windows
The type of window
1. Data Editor, 2. Syntax Editor, 3. Viewer

– The type of window is visible on the top left corner of each

window.

Window Name

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1. Data editor window
–It is the view where we see our data

–It is useful to see and manipulate the data

–It has *.sav extension

–It has two views,

1. Data view and 2. Variable view

–Views can be exchanged by clicking the view we

wish at the left most lower side of the data editor

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 SPSS/Windows
Data editor view

Data view Variable view

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 SPSS/Windows
a. Data view
Here you simply observe
–Names of variables

–the values of the variables

•We are able to edit directly

the values of variables

•Data can be entered when

SPSS is in data view
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 SPSS/Windows
Rows and Column
• Rows are horizontally recorded values of different
variables of a single study subject
• Column is vertically recorded single variable of many
study subjects

Column
A single Variable’s value
across all study subjects

Rows
(Single study subject’s
information)
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Displaying values
• You can display the values of your categorical variables
– as the numeric codes entered (eg 1’s and 2’s for gender),
or

– to view the value labels which you have defined in variable

view (eg male and female; see 1.3)

• to view on the menu-bar, and choose value labels.

• use the luggage label button on the toolbar

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luggage label button

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 SPSS/Windows
b. Variable view
Here you simply observe
• It is important to create
new variables in SPSS

• It is by writing name of
variable, type of
variable, its label and
its value

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 SPSS/Windows
b. Variable view
Here you simply observe

1. Names of variables

2. Type of variables

3. Width/ Decimals

4. Label of the variables

5. Labels of values of variable

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 Cont….
• Name of variables
– Name of variables are usually codes

– They contain continuous alphabets with out

interruption (no space in between alphabets)

– Example
Agegroup vs age group

education vs educationalstatus
educational status
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 SPSS/Windows
b. Variable view
Here you simply observe

1. Names of variables

2. Type of variables

3. Width/ Decimals

4. Label of the variables

5. Labels of values of variable

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2. Type of variables
Cont…
• There are different types of variables
• It is displayed when clicked upper
right corner of type column

1. Numeric for countable (quantitative)

only accepting numericals (coding of
qualitative variables is possible)

2. Date characteristics it can use

different styles of dates

3. String for qualitative data usually if

we interested on words
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 SPSS/Windows
b. Variable view
Here you simply observe

1. Names of variables

2. Type of variables

3. Width/ Decimals

4. Label of the variables

5. Labels of values of variable

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 Cont…
3. Width/ Decimals
• The width and decimal are used to allow number of
characteristic of a value of a single variable

• If numeric type of variable, it will ask to choose number of

widths and decimals (as a default the width comes 8 and
decimals of 2)

• If date type of variable, it may ask you to choose number

of characteristics of the type of date

• If a qualitative data with words, it will ask you to choose

number of characteristics you wanted to add
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 Cont.…
• Decimals
– Number of decimals

– It has to be less than or equal to 16

– If it is date or string variable, it will not ask you

decimals

3.14159265

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 SPSS/Windows
b. Variable view
Here you simply observe

1. Names of variables

2. Type of variables

3. Width/ Decimals

4. Label of the variables

5. Labels of values of variable

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4. Label of the variables
Cont….
• Label of a variable is detailed description of
the variable name
– You can specify the details of the variable

– You can write characters with spaces up to 256

characters

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 SPSS/Windows
b. Variable view
Here you simply observe

1. Names of variables

2. Type of variables

3. Width/ Decimals

4. Label of the variables

5. Labels of values of variable

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5. Labels of values of variable
Cont…
• This is description of values of variables of qualitative
variables coded as quantitative (categorical)

• It is for variables whose values are nominated

• Eg. ‘Sex’ the value can be 1. male, 2. female

‘Residence’ = = = = = 1. urban, 2. rural ….etc

• For continuous variables, no value is needed coding

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 Defining the value labels
• Click the cell in the values column as shown below
• For the value, and the label, you can put up to 60
characters.
• After defining the values click add and then click OK.

Click

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 Labeling value
• Write the value first

• Write its meaning

• Click add to pass

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2. The Viewer window
It is displayed after any data manipulation

 Analysis result, commands are displayed in the

viewer window

 Editing of graphs is also performed in this window

field.

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 SPSS/Windows
The Viewer window
displays all

–Statistical results,

–Tables, and

–Charts

–Commands…… etc.

•It has *.spv extension

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The Viewer window

Menu bar and

toolbar buttons in
output window

output in outline Output in detail

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3. The Syntax Editor
 It is the window in which SPSS commands can be typed and
submitted for processing.

 Commands saved in files can be opened in a syntax Editor

window for processing.

 it has *.sps extension

SPSS Syntax Editor

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 SPSS/Windows
ntax ater
a sy e d l
u ce duc
od epro
a
r
n p be r • A syntax file is formed by two
e c n
h e t ca
r
g tha
ways;
in
ck m
Cli ogra
Pr 1. Manual writing (for
programmers)

2. By clicking at ‘paste’ of any

function in recoding,
transforming or analysis

3. Resent versions also keep

syntaxes at the viewer
windows
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 SPSS/Windows
Syntax development from any function
• First manupilate the function
Eg.
anlysis Descriptive statistics Frequency
The frequency menu will appear

After entering the variables click ‘past’

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 SPSS/Windows

• A written syntax menu having the program will

appear as below Syntax menu

Program with
a command

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 SPSS/Windows
• Once a syntax is written, we are able to excute it.

• In excuting a syntax we are able to do the whole

program as whole or by selecting part of the syntax

• To do the whole syntax, select the ‘run’ from the

pulldown menu of the syntax and select ‘all’

• To excute part of the syntax, shade it and run the

file
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 SPSS/Windows

The Viewer window displays all statistical results,

tables, and charts.

SPSS Viewer

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 SPSS/Windows
The second important feature is its use of
Pull-down menu items and tool bars.

Pull-down
Menu Items

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 SPSS/Windows
The tool bar provide a quick, easy method of
accessing commonly required tasks.

Tool Bar

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 SPSS/Windows
The pull-menu and tool bar items change from one type of window
to another.

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 Different Windows,
Different pull down Menu
Items

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Different Windows,
Different Tool bars

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 SPSS/Windows
Pull-down items important for discussion
when a person wants to use SPSS

Pull-down
Menu Items

Data, Transform, Analysis, Graphs

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Opening an existing data file

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 Opening an existing data file
• Your data may already have been entered and
saved as a data file
– in SPSS having ‘*.sav’ extension or
– a different package
• such as EPI info, Excel, SAS, Stata or dBase etc.

• in data editor window, select file, open, data

• choose the file type, and then browse and

select your file so it appears by file name.
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File Open Data

By clicking the file type,

you are able to find the type of software
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Data transfer.......................
............... using StatTransfer

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Data exporting/ transfering
• Usually different softwares have a way of reading
data differently

• Some software can read only common data files like

excel and dbase, but not others.

• SPSS is able to read only, SPSS, Excel and Dbase, but

not *.rec, STATA, SAS files

• Therefore, getting a software that converts from one

software to the other is important
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StatTransfer V6

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StatTransfer V6
• It is a STATA software version 6 that converts one
form to other form of statistical software

• In the software there is both input and output of

statistical files

• There is also file specification that discribes what

type of statistical software it is

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 StatTransfer V6
Input/ output file discribing
type of sofware

Place where the file

Can be browsed

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Procedure 2. Select type of stistical software
you want to convert

1. Click first here and

a pull-down menu and list of statistical
software types will be displayed

3. Click the Browse to find, and

select the file you want to convert
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 Cont… 5. Select type of stistical software
you want to use

4. Click first here and

a pull-down menu and list of statistical
software types will be displayed

7 Finally, click the transfer and

number of transferred variables 6. Click the Browse to find, and
will be displaced select the file you want to convert
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Finally
• Finally, by double clicking the new file, you can
open the software

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